Report: Kobe Bryant Pilot May Have Been Disoriented in Fog

Report: Kobe Bryant Pilot May Have Been Disoriented in Fog
(L-R) Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant, Natalia Bryant, and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant at the world premiere of "A Wrinkle in Time" in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2018. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES—The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday.

Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 4,000 feet to get above clouds on Jan. 26 when, in fact, the helicopter was plunging toward a hillside where it crashed northwest of Los Angeles.

NTD Photo
Investigators, top, work the scene of a helicopter crash that killed former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies patrol in an all-terrain vehicle on a hillside in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2020. (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said Zobayan may have “misperceived” the pitch of the aircraft, which can happen when a pilot becomes disoriented in low visibility.

Experts have said the path of the flight indicated Zobayan was disoriented.

The 1,700 pages of reports do not offer a conclusion of what caused the crash but compile factual reports. A final report on the cause is due later.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six of their friends were killed, along with Zobayan.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant
Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Western Conference warms up with daughter Gianna Bryant during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, on Feb. 14, 2016. (Elsa/Getty Images)

By Brian Melley

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